MOMENTS - College of Agricultural Sciences
Transcript of MOMENTS - College of Agricultural Sciences
PIVOTAL MOMENTS | WINTER 2020‐2021 ISSUE 14
1 Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Family and Community Health, 4-H Youth, Forestry & Natural Resources, Extension Sea Grant, and Open Campus programs. Oregon State University, United States Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties cooperating. The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to all people.
From the Director Clive Kaiser, Interim Director, Professor Well, 2020 is finally drawing to a
close and although I am ready to
shut the door on this chapter of
life, I am still incredibly thankful
for everything that has gone right
this year. Firstly, a huge shout out
to the Faculty, staff and research
teams at HAREC. Without their
flexibility and dedication, we
would not have been able to
achieve the research outputs that
have kept us on the forefront of
science for local stakeholders. We
were able to hold several field
days, most of them virtual this
year and we had some great
feedback from the first Virtual
Hermiston Farm Fair too. Over 600
attendees logged participation
over the 3 days with the greatest
number of people attending on
Friday with 249 participants. No
mean feat and well‐orchestrated
by the team and led by Ruijun Qin,
our agronomist. We are also
extremely grateful to the
speakers, many of whom shared
outstanding results from other
regions around the country, which
helps stimulate new thinking and
relevance for introducing new
programs to address current
problems locally.
I also would like to take this
opportunity to thank our
stakeholders for their patience
and continued commitment to
HAREC. Without your support, we
would not be able to achieve the
things we do. Have a peaceful,
festive season and compliments of
the New Year to you all.
Best wishes
Clive
WINTER 2020‐2021
PIVOTAL MOMENTS
A Quarterly Newsletter
For Friends of HAREC
PIVOTAL MOMENTS | WINTER 2020‐2021 ISSUE 14
2 Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Family and Community Health, 4-H Youth, Forestry & Natural Resources, Extension Sea Grant, and Open Campus programs. Oregon State University, United States Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties cooperating. The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to all people.
The 47th Hermiston Farm Fair was held virtually!!!! Ray Qin, Farm Fair committee program organizer
The Oregon State University
Hermiston Agricultural Research
and Extension Center Annual
Farm Fair was held virtually this
year due to the pandemic.
Farm Fair is one of the most
important meetings in the region
and our annual signature
extension program for the past 47
years. This year we offered
continuing‐education courses on
diverse topics such as potato,
vegetable, hemp, soil health, and
cutting‐edge technology.
Over 600 people joined us during
this 3‐day event. Regional, national and experts nation‐wide
including Idaho, Washington,
Minnesota, Michigan, Virginia and
New York were invited to present
at this year’s event.
I would like to send a special
THANK YOU to our sponsors this
year at our virtual Hermiston Farm
Fair. Without their
continued support
we would not be
able to provide this
service. THANK YOU
Wilbur Ellis, Umatilla
Electric Cooperative,
Corteva, Salmon
Safe and Nutrien Ag
Solutions.
I want to also thank
the Farm Fair
program committee
for all their help with
the organization, which took over
5 months. We hope to be back to
our in‐person meeting next year.
In the meantime, stay safe and
healthy.
Farm Fair sessions available to view: https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/harec/news‐
events No Credit
The greeting remarks from the interim director at HAREC and the Associate Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences at OSU on December 4th
The moment when the peak attendee number (220) was shown during the meeting on December 4th
PIVOTAL MOMENTS | WINTER 2020‐2021 ISSUE 14
3 Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Family and Community Health, 4-H Youth, Forestry & Natural Resources, Extension Sea Grant, and Open Campus programs. Oregon State University, United States Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties cooperating. The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to all people.
Plant Biology Lab By Aymeric Goyer, Plant Biologist, Associate Professor Senior Research
This fall, we have been busy
juggling between lab work and
online conferences. I used our
state‐of‐the‐art High‐Performance
Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
system to analyze various
biochemical compounds in 180
potato samples that were
harvested from fields
in Oregon and Idaho.
Our main target was
tyrosine, an amino
acid that is the main
precursor of colored
pigments found in
bruised potatoes. In
this project, we are
evaluating the effect
of plant maturity and
nitrogen fertilization
rates on blackspot
bruising.
We have also been busy
with PVY related
experiments that require
lots of plantlets
propagation, inoculation
of plants with the virus,
observation of plants’
response, and PCR to
detect the virus.
We wrote a short article about our
PVY research titled “It’s in the
Genes” which was published in the
December issue of Potato Country.
Check it out!
Carol Bvindi, a postdoctoral
scholar in my lab, has been
working, amongst other projects,
on editing the potato genome
using CRISPR/Cas9, also known as
molecular scissors. Although
CRISPR has been used to edit many
different plant species, it remains
a challenge in polyploid species
like potato. Our goal is to develop
a protocol for efficient editing of
the potato genome.
On Veterans Day, I gave my first
online seminar to more than 280
participants at the SOL
International Online Meeting
2020, an international conference
on the plant family of Solanaceae.
My talk was at 5:30 am Pacific
Time. Great way to start my day!!!
I also virtually attended the 4th
International Conference on Plant
Synthetic Biology, Bioengineering,
and Biotechnology. Plant synthetic
biology promises to be the next
revolution in plant sciences.
HAREC Horticulture in 2020 Scott Lukas, HAREC
Horticulture program director.
Throughout the challenges of this
turbulent year we have all had to
re‐structure what is ‘normal’ life.
Carol Bvindi and Aymeric Goyer analyzing potato samples
Towards a sustainable bio‐based economy through plant
synthetic biology (from Shih 2018 Plant Science)
Continued on page 4
Blueberry research trial, established 2020
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4 Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Family and Community Health, 4-H Youth, Forestry & Natural Resources, Extension Sea Grant, and Open Campus programs. Oregon State University, United States Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties cooperating. The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to all people.
The HAREC horticulture program extends a great “thank you” to our staff, stakeholders, agencies, students, and everyone who has pulled together to help one another in this time of difficulty. Despite a hard year, our horticulture program has had many successful research trials and expanded our research team! In 2020 we were able to install a long‐term blueberry research study to evaluate nutrient management and soil acidification methods. We also established a multi‐state hemp irrigation project that aims to identify water
demands and a crop coefficient to
more precisely manage water
inputs. Both trials are off to a great
start and we are looking forward
to sharing results with you next
year at the Farm Fair.
We’ve also added two new post‐
doctoral researchers to the team!
Dr. Amin Nouri is focusing on soil
hydro‐physical properties with
re‐used water sources for crop
irrigation, and Dr. Shikha Singh, is
focusing on the impacts of soil
carbon amendments on nutrient
availability in blueberry crops.
We had to say farewell to our
program technician, Logan Clark,
who moved back to his North
Carolina home to pursue other
educational ventures.
Next summer we’ll also be adding
another graduate student to help
expand our irrigation and crop
nutrition services to Eastern
Oregon.
This student will be a part of a
recently funded USDA grant
program that will support a cohort
of 6 Master of Science students
that will be based at HAREC. Many
exciting updates to come! Feel
free to get in touch if you want
more details on our program.
In the meantime, let’s send 2020
off and hit the reset button for a
fresh start in 2021! Take care, and
stay safe.
Hemp irrigation and water use field trial
Dr. Amin Nouri, Post‐Doctoral researcher focusing on advancing irrigation opportunities with re‐used water
Dr. Shikha Singh, Post‐Doctoral scholar joins the horticulture program to study blueberry soil carbon and nutrient relations
Horticulture team waist deep in hemp, soon after this photo it was over their heads. (Left. Logan Clark, Program technician; Alex Gregory, M.S. student; Tim Gould, Undergraduate intern).
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5 Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Family and Community Health, 4-H Youth, Forestry & Natural Resources, Extension Sea Grant, and Open Campus programs. Oregon State University, United States Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties cooperating. The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to all people.
AGRONOMY PROGRAM IN 2020 By Ray Qin, Assistant Professor, Extension Agronomist
In the difficult year 2020, the
Agronomy team still carried out
several projects successfully. I
greatly appreciate the hard‐
working team members,
collaborators, and many
temporary workers in my
program. Based on the solid
background of past years, we are
expecting a fruitful 2021!
THE PROGRESS OF OUR
PROJECTS:
Potatoes: A field trial on
potassium fertilization was at a
grower’s field in Boardman. This
trial included three potato
varieties (Umatilla Russet,
Clearwater Russet, and Russet
Burbank). Two types of potassium
fertilizer (Muriate of Potash
[MOP]) and potassium sulfate
(SOP) was applied at a rate from 0
to 800 lbs./ac. The research
findings were reported at the 47th
Hermiston Farm Fair. A project
report will be submitted to the
Northwest Potato Research
Consortium, our major sponsor
for this project.
A field trial on nitrogen
fertilization was conducted at
HAREC this year. This trial was
aiming to evaluate the effect of N
fertilization on blackspot bruise
susceptibility on Russet Norkotah
and to evaluate the nitrogen
equipment for the new potato
variety, Rainier Russet.
Cereal crops:
A field trial, which is the second‐
year study, is being conducted to
evaluate the effect of plant growth
regulators (new tested product vs
Palisade) on winter wheat
(Bobtail) and spring wheat (Divo
and Louise). We planted 23
triticale varieties for evaluating
the yield potential as forage or
grain. We manually planted 510
winter wheat varieties for
evaluating stripe rust disease to
support a nation‐wide study led by
a USDA scientist, Dr. Xianming
Chen.
Kentucky bluegrass (KBG):
New field trials are being
conducted with the goals of 1)
identifying the optimum PGR rate
and nitrogen (N) rate, 2)
determining the interactive effect
of PGRs and N, 3) evaluating the
effect of various fertilization
(manure and N) on soil health and
crop performance, and 4) testing
new KGB varieties. The research
findings from the completed trials
are being summarized for
submission to our sponsors
(Washington Turfgrass Seed
Commission and OSU‐ARF). The
project report will also be
published in the 2020 OSU Seed
Production Research Report.
Agronomy team meeting online
Potatoes in Potassium experiment
Winter wheat nursery plants Continued on page 6
PIVOTAL MOMENTS | WINTER 2020‐2021 ISSUE 14
6 Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Family and Community Health, 4-H Youth, Forestry & Natural Resources, Extension Sea Grant, and Open Campus programs. Oregon State University, United States Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties cooperating. The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to all people.
Adzuki bean: There are 30 Adzuki bean varieties
successfully producing seed
among 135 varieties from USDA
germplasm. Meanwhile, a field
trial on evaluating the best
agronomic condition for the
currently available variety, Erimo,
was completed. Hopefully, with
continuing studies, the adzuki
bean and other dry beans/pea
crops will be the promising
rotational crops grown in our
region.
Forage:
The alfalfa/grass mixing or
intercropping was planted in late
August 2019. In 2020, there were
5 times the amount of harvests
occurring. The initial 2 harvests
suffered serious weed pressure
because of an improper herbicide
option. With the season
extending, the weed pressure
reduced dramatically. This project
will be continuing for an additional
two years.
Cover crops:
Like last year, cover crops such as
cool‐season cereals and brassica
crops showed good performance,
which means there will be more
cover crop options available for
our region in the future. The
project will be continuously
monitored until next March.
Mint:
The field trial initiated in 2019 is
on‐going. More data will be
available next year. This project
will provide valuable information
on irrigation amounts and
nitrogen fertilizer type/rates to
growers.
NEWS: A soil health project affected by
soil fumigation and cover crop in
potato fields was awarded by WA
Specialty Crop Block Grant
Program for three years. This
project will have collaboration
between our Agronomy team, at
HAREC, the potato breeding team,
at HAREC and a USDA team in
Adams, OR.
Welcome our newest member,
Dr. Shahram Torabian who joined
Dr. Shahram Torabian – Postdoctoral Scholar
Continued on page 7
Adzuki bean plants in fields
Intercropping of grass and alfalfa
Cover crop
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7 Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Family and Community Health, 4-H Youth, Forestry & Natural Resources, Extension Sea Grant, and Open Campus programs. Oregon State University, United States Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties cooperating. The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to all people.
our team in December as a
postdoctoral scholar. Dr. Shahram
Torabian received his PhD from
the University of Tabriz, majoring
in Crop Physiology and received
his MS degree from Isfahan
University of Technology majoring
in Agronomy.
Congratulations to Yan Yan who received a top prize for her Branch Experiment Station Research Poster and presentation at the 2020 CAS Undergraduate
Research Showcase.
PUBLICATIONS: Qin, R., C. Noulas, D. Wysocki, X Liang, G. Wang, and S. Lukas. 2020. The application of plant growth regulators on soft white winter wheat under different nitrogen fertilizer scenarios in irrigated fields. Agriculture, 10(7), 305; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10070305 Qin, R., S. Moparthi, M. Feldman,
B. Charlton, V. Sathuvalli. 2020.
Effect of foliar application of 2,4‐D
and calcium on red‐skinned potato
cultivars. Agronomy J. (in press)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/agj2
.20444.
We made it!!! … and now we move forward
Silvia I. Rondon, Professor and Extension Entomology Specialist I am sure all of you will agree this
was a difficult year. However,
with good organization, planning,
and collaboration, programs like
our Irrigated Agricultural
Entomology Program at HAREC,
successfully completed all our
field activities. In summary, Dr.
Oppedisano, completed her
studies related to leafhoppers and
phytoplasmas in the Basin, and
now she is compiling
all her results and
presenting at the
Entomological
Society of America
Virtual Meeting
and the Pacific
Northwest
Vegetable
Association.
Similarly, Dr. Shrestha
completed his work around
several biological aspects of Lygus
bugs including, host selection,
movement, distribution,
landscape contribution to pest
and natural enemies’ presence in
potatoes. He is also summarizing
and presenting his findings in
different venues, including
Entomological Society and Farm
Fair. He also presented at an
invited seminar for the OSU Crop
and Soil Sciences Department.
Continued on page 8
PIVOTAL MOMENTS | WINTER 2020‐2021 ISSUE 14
8 Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Family and Community Health, 4-H Youth, Forestry & Natural Resources, Extension Sea Grant, and Open Campus programs. Oregon State University, United States Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties cooperating. The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to all people.
My “right and left hand”, Ira
Thompson, ran several
pesticide trials during this
summer, including one related to
hemp. This was a unique
opportunity to learn more about
the agronomics, and more
specifically to our area of
expertise, recognizing insects and
mites that may be causing damage
on this relatively new crop in our
area.
My collaborators from the USDA‐
ARS in Prosser (M. Feldman),
North Dakota University (S.
Thompson) are planning a large‐
scale program to tackle the
emergent issue related to the
Colorado potato beetle.
I have been busy facilitating and
helping my team in all field
activities plus presenting virtually
both nationally and internationally
on several occasions. In addition, I
have been busy recruiting new
people to join our group.
At this point, I would like to
welcome Nima Rad. Nima did his
masters at University of Perugia,
Italy, and he is joining our group to
work on the Colorado potato
beetle.
If you ask me, professionally, the
hardest thing about this year, by
far; has been not seeing you during
our field days, farm fair, walk‐ins,
etc., but I am optimistic about next
season and hoping for the best.
Wishing you happy holidays and
health.
Become A HAREC
SUPPORTER ! Contact our office to find out how you can contribute
to the research,
programs and growth of HAREC
Nima Rad
Colorado Potato Beetle Research
Ira Thompson Bioscience Research Technician III
PIVOTAL MOMENTS | WINTER 2020‐2021 ISSUE 14
9 Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Family and Community Health, 4-H Youth, Forestry & Natural Resources, Extension Sea Grant, and Open Campus programs. Oregon State University, United States Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties cooperating. The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to all people.
Mission Statement
To advance scientific knowledge in agriculture, natural resources and biofortified crops, and support and
educate our diverse local clientele and community in the areas of irrigated agriculture, plant breeding, natural resources, human health and youth
development.
6 Master of Science positions available Summer/ Fall 2021
https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/
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